Not All That Glitters Is Gold
by NRC
Summary: He sees a girl he used to love, lifeless. For Lucy.


**AN: _All recognisable characters belong to J.K. Rowling._**

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_she's trouble in a tank top_  
_pretty little time bomb_  
_blowin' up_  
_take you down_  
_living in the radio_  
_lost in stereo sound_

...

He hasn't seen her in _years_, ever since the Dark Lord was defeated, but he knows instantly who she is. The long blonde hair, the brilliant green eyes, the perfect pout.

Daphne Greengrass.

He used to have a crush on her in high school. He remembers staring at her out of the corner of his eyes, wishing the arm wrapped around her shoulders were his and not Malfoy's. But she was beautiful, and of course she deserved someone just as beautiful as she was, and sadly, that just wasn't him, that just wasn't Theo Nott.

But that used to be alright with him. He'd known he'd have no chance with her. Her younger sister Astoria had told him to move on, and he had, hadn't he? He'd dated Astoria, Tracey Davis, and one of the twins—he never could tell which one—and he'd put _her_ out of his mind, hadn't he?

But then he had seen her at the Yule Ball, and could he have really helped himself when the twin noticed he paid more attention to Daphne than to his own date?

She had been smiling and laughing then, not innocent, not naïve, but glowing like an angel.

But seeing her now, Theo wonders what happened to her. Because she is broken, like her wings had been stripped from her, leaving the brooding girl in the corner without shine or smile or sparkle.

He doesn't get up to walk over to her. He's afraid of rejection still, after ten years of pining away after her. Because he's so weak and cowardly and thinks she deserves more than him.

Besides, he's married, anyway.

A song plays in the bar, and he comes to his senses that he is in a _Muggle_ place, not the Leaky Cauldron like he'd expected.

He had a fight with his wife this morning, and after that he'd summoned a bottle of Firewhiskey from their basement and drank until he couldn't even remember what they were fighting about. Then he stepped out when there was no more alcohol, and walked around, trying to find the Leaky Cauldron without asking the Muggle squatters dotted about. He'd entered the first pub he'd found, thinking it was the old wizarding establishment.

And now, he wakes up to the sound of the unfamiliar notes of the Muggle song, and he realises he wants out. Muggle alcohol is not strong enough, and he wants Firewhiskey, damn it.

He sees her stand up, but she isn't looking at him. She's not looking at anyone. She stares at the floor, her fragile shoulders hunched. She doesn't know where she is; she doesn't care, as long as there is alcohol and music and the smell of sex, because that's her world now.

When she starts dancing in the middle of the dance floor by herself, swaying with her eyes closed, Theo Nott is hypnotised. She may be broken, she may be just a doll without life or spirit within her, but she is still beautiful, and he wants her, like he always has.

So he stands up and joins her. She doesn't open her eyes, but they start dancing together. They don't say a word to one another, just moving with the rhythm of the song and their dance partner, as the alcohol burns in his veins.

He wakes up the next morning with a terrible hangover and no recollection about last night. He spreads an arm, and his fingers come in contact with smooth soft skin.

He sits up as the sensation brings up hazy memories. He turns to look at his bed partner, and he doesn't know what to feel.

It is Daphne Greengrass, in all her broken angel glory.

Her lips are curved down in a frown, even in her sleep, and Theo feels his heart break for her.

But he doesn't want to be here. He's afraid she'll reject him again when she finds out who she slept with the night before. And frankly, he has enough marital troubles, and he doesn't want to add to his pile.

Besides, it's not like she'll miss him. It's not like she loves him, like he's always loved her.

So he gathers his things, careful not to leave a scrap of cloth or a piece of paper lying around. He wants to do nothing but forget the broken girl in the inn, nothing but to forget the entire night, nothing more than to just let his past be his past.

He purposefully chains his memory of her to the recesses of his mind, because she's not the Daphne Greengrass from Hogwarts anymore.

So he leaves without looking back at the girl on the bed.

If he had, he'd have seen tears sliding from the girl's closed eyes.

Because she's not the drunk one; she's perfectly aware of what happened last night, and she didn't regret one minute of it.

...

_and i've been  
waiting  
for so long  
but he'll never know  
i'm losing hope  
'cause he's so  
(lost in stereo, lost in stereo)_

...

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**AN:**

Written for Luce, because she's so awesome and everything. =]

And this was well overdue anyway =P Apologies.

To avoid confusion, the last set of lyrics is from Daphne's point of view. The little backstory is that she only went out with Draco to get Theo to notice her, but it kind of backfired on her.

Lost In Stereo by All Time Low.

**Review your thoughts and opinions.**


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